1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to connectors, and more particularly, to an electronic card connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A currently available card connector includes means for locking a memory card inserted into the card connector to secure the memory card in stable connection with the card connector, and there are a variety of such means for locking the memory card. For example, China Patent Publication No. 2405337 disclosed an electronic card connector having a locking device, which is composed of an insulative housing having at least one slot, a plurality of contacts received within the insulative housing, an elongated spring bar mounted in the elongated slot and having a protrusion, and a metallic spring buffer disposed inside the elongated slot and having a spring arm portion, which pressingly engages the spring bar at a first supporting section thereof, a tail portion abutting against a side wall formed adjacent to the elongated slot, and a bight portion formed between the spring arm portion and the tail portion. As disclosed in China Patent Publication No. 2746600, an electronic card connector is composed of an insulating frame having a plurality of electric contacts, an ejecting mechanism mounted to the insulating housing for guiding insertion and ejection of an electronic card, and a shield having a stopping piece for covering the external periphery of the insulating housing, wherein the ejecting mechanism includes a locking member having an assembly arm and a locking arm, which are connected with and spaced from each other for a predetermined distance, the assembly arm being mounted to a slide bar of the ejecting mechanism, the locking arm being movable with respect to the assembly arm; during insertion of an electronic card, the card is moved along the slide bar and the locking arm is moved to stop against the shield piece so as to fail to move with respect to the assembly arm, thus forcing the locking arm stopping against one side of the card to lock the card in position. As disclosed in China Patent Publication No. 1755990, a connector for a memory card includes a housing composed of a frame and a sealing plate covering the frame, a slider slidably mounted in the frame, a return spring provided for biasing the slider in the direction of card ejection, a half-lock spring fixed to the slider and having an engaging projection engaged to a recess of the card for half locking the card, and an inclined rib mounted to an inner sidewall of the housing for preventing the popping-out of the memory card 3 by the return spring when the card is ejected; while the card is being ejected, the inclined rib is stopped against the half-lock spring to refrain the half-lock spring from deformation, thus preventing the card from popping-out while the return spring is reset. Further, China Patent Publication No. 1692531 disclosed a card connector composed of a box-shaped housing having a card insertion opening formed in a front portion thereof through which a memory card is inserted; a contact block mounted in the vicinity of a rear end thereof and in an inside of the housing and holding an alignment of a plurality of contacts which are to be contacted with I/O contacting terminals of the memory card in a manner so that contacting portions of the contacts are protruded toward the card insertion opening; a slider mounted between the contact block and the card insertion opening in the inside of the housing and slidable in a cross direction of the housing, having a contacting portion for contacting with a front end of the memory card inserted into the housing from the card insertion opening and a plurality of arm portions thereof for guiding side edges of the memory card, and sliding with the memory card corresponding to a movement of the memory card; a spring provided in the inside of the housing and constantly applying pressure to the slider toward the card insertion opening; a heart-shaped cam groove unit formed in the inside of the housing and having a heart-shaped cam and a guide groove located around the heart-shaped cam; a locking member having a guide pin provided at an end thereof in a longitudinal direction and engaged with and slidable along the guide groove of the heart-shaped cam groove unit and a rotation shaft thereof provided at the other end thereof and rotatably borne by a bearing provided on a side portion of the slider, rotating around the rotation shaft owing to a movement of the guide pin along the guide groove corresponding to a movement of the slider in the cross direction, and locking the movement of the slider at a predetermined position by fitting the guide pin into a recess provided at a predetermined position on the heart-shaped cam when a pressing force applied to the memory card is released after moving the slider to an aftermost position in the cross direction of the housing; and a locking protrusion provided at an intermediate portion of the locking member in the cross direction of the housing, and engaging with a recess used to be locked provided on the memory card by protruding toward the memory card corresponding to the rotation of the locking member at the predetermined position where the movement of the slider is locked.
As stated above, the currently available locking mechanisms are structurally complex to need improvement.